Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus and methods for manufacturing glow in the dark pistol and rifle shooting targets. More particularly, the invention relates to an ink that includes phosphorescent material for producing a phosphorescent image on a substrate, to a device including the substrate and the ink, and to methods of forming and using the ink and the specific use for indoor and outdoor pistol and rifle shooting range targets.
Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Ink-based shooting target imaging, such as flexographic printing, offset printing, gravure printing and screen printing transferring the image onto a substrate such as paper, plastic and metal or the like, and fusing the ink onto the substrate using heat, pressure, and/or a solvent.
Because poor lighting conditions makes pistol and rifle shooting targets difficult to see at long distances in most indoor shooting ranges, and virtually impossible for outdoor shooting ranges to see pistol and rifle shooting targets after dusk, it is necessary to create a shooting target that can self-illuminate in order that the shooting target can be visible to the shooter at long range distances where standard lighting conditions cannot illuminate the target well enough for the target shooter to gain target visibility.
A number of patents and or publications have been made to address these issues. Exemplary examples of patents and or publication that try to address this/these problem(s) are identified and discussed below.
United States Publication No. US2010/0330487, in the name of Veregin et al., dated Dec. 30, 2010, states that while commercial phosphorescent pigments exist, they are too large to be incorporated into ink particles and therefore it has not been possible to directly prepare phosphorescent electrophotographic prints. Veregin further states that both chemical and conventional ink processes currently available will fail to incorporate these large pigments. Veregin et al. purports to overcome this problem by coating the phosphorescent material, which is relatively time consuming and expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,170,077 issued on Oct. 27, 2015 to Scott Johnson discloses a Shooting Target with Reactive Zones. The invention includes printed shooting targets having reactive zones and methods related to the same. In an embodiment, the invention includes a shooting target comprising a substrate. While this patent provides an enlarged identification area where the target has been struck, but the target is not visible in the dark and the penetration holes are only visible when the target has been struck.
For the foregoing reasons, improved methods and apparatus for manufacturing highly visible pistol and rifle shooting targets having a phosphorescent image using ink-based processing, which are relatively easy, inexpensive and desired.
What is needed is a method for manufacturing glow in-the-dark targets where the targets can be charged with sunlight or artificial light whereby the targets produce some light in darkness. The proposed methods for manufacturing glow in-the-dark targets provides the solution.